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(JTA) — The Claims Conference accused Hungary's government of "depriving" Holocaust survivors through "disgraceful" and "deceitful tactics."
The allegations came after Budapest demanded on Monday that the Claims Conference, an organization representing world Jewry in compensation talks on Holocaust-era crimes," return" $12.6 million to Hungary's treasury.
An announcement published on the website of the Hungarian Ministry of Public Administration and Justice cited "discriminatory" methods by the Claims Conference that had "failed to properly report" on expenditure. Hungary would give the Claims Conference no more funds until the issue is solved, the announcement said.
Claims Conference Executive Vice President Greg Schneider told JTA that this was the first time in the organization's 62 years of operation "that a country has reneged when it came time to pay. We hope that intervention at the highest level in Hungary will resolve this issue for Hungarian survivors who need help."
According to the Hungarian ministry, the money Hungary is demanding is part of $21 million pledged by the government in 2007 for the following five years for Holocaust survivors in Hungary and abroad. A new settlement was to be signed this year.
The money was transferred initially from the treasury to the Jewish Heritage of Hungary Public Endowment, or Mazsok — a committee of government officials and Jewish representatives. Mazsok transferred $12.6 million to the Claims Conference for distribution outside Hungary, the ministry said.
But the Claims Conference told JTA that the Hungarian government had failed to transfer $5.6 million of the $21 million pledged. In an email to JTA, the Claims Conference said it only spent approximately $8 million received from Hungary.
"As a result of such conduct, thousands of Holocaust survivors will, unfortunately, be deprived of the assistance they so desperately need and had reason to expect," the Claims Conference added. It called Hungary's allegations "disgraceful" and "deceitful tactics."
In its statement, the Hungarian ministry said distribution of funds by the Claims Conference "was made on a far-from-equal footing, which represents discrimination to the detriment of Holocaust survivors living in Hungary." Based on the report submitted by the Claims Conference to date, "it is impossible to identify the individuals eligible for compensation," the ministry wrote on its website.
The Claims Conference, according to the email it sent JTA, gave Budapest a 400-page report containing the names of all recipients and how much they received.
"Every penny was transferred to a Hungarian survivor, not even one cent was spent on administration or any other expense," the Claims Conference said.
The email also said that funding for Holocaust survivors stopped after 2010, when the Fidesz party came to power.
"We call upon Prime Minister Orban to intercede in order to help needy Hungarian survivors who happen to live outside of Hungary today and comply with international agreements," it said.


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June 04, 2016
Valley Speedway
https://www.mudrunguide.com/event/kansas-city-missouri-conquer-the-gauntlet-2016/ Valley Speedway, 348 Old U.S. 40, Grain Valley, MO, United States Conquer the Gauntlet email@example.com use-title true MM/DD/YYYY
Race Start Time:
9:00 am is the first heat. They will run every 15 minutes after that until approximately 1:00 pm. There will be 100-150 people per heat.
Valley Speedway348 Old U.S. 40
Grain Valley, MO, United States - View Map
Distance & Course Length:
3.78 miles
Conquer the Gauntlet49 Past Events, 0 other upcoming races
Click here to read or add your own Kansas City Missouri Conquer the Gauntlet 2016 reviews
Use discount code CTGMRG for 10% off your registration
Visit Event WebsiteThis event has passed, registration is closed.
Who's Attending?
Cost & Pricing:
Individual Cost | Until |
$55 | January 31, 2016 |
$65 | February 29, 2016 |
$75 | March 31, 2016 |
$85 | April 30, 2016 |
$95 | Registration Closes |
What You Get / What's Included:
- Chip timing
- Custom Medal
- High-quality, fitted finisher shirt
- CTG water bottle
- Free digital race pictures
- The best course you will run this year.
Course Description:
The most obstacles you've ever seen in one place! Conquer the Gauntlet is a grueling 4 mile obstacle course race with over 25 obstacles, and there's something more than a race going on here!
The list of obstacles you may encounter includes:
- Cliffhanger
- Tiger Trap
- Nemesis Enforcer
- Stairway to Heaven
- Continental Divide
- Dead Man's Drop
- Tarzan Swing
- More Cowbell
- Great Wall of America
- Polar Vortex
- Barrels Beneath
- Walls of Fury
- Boardwalk
- Rockies
- Wall Scale
- Tire Traverse
- The Bog
- Gateway to the West
- Net Scrambler
- The Swamp Crawl
- Conqueror's Carry
- The Gauntlet
- Barbed Wire Boulevard
- Walk the Plank
- Flying Flames
- The Sewer
- Hay Bale Haven
- Pit of Despair
- Hills from Hell
- Horrible Hurdles
- Gallows
- Hit the Slopes
- Web of Deception
- Tightrope Walk
- Labyrinth
- Sherwood Forest
Aid Stations:
There will be three water stations on the course.
Paramedics and a first aid station will be at the start/finish line and on standby to enter the course as necessary.
Runners will receive a free 16 ounce water at the finish line as well as other supplements.
The first place overall male and female Champions will be awarded the champion "Gauntlet" trophy, $200 cash, and one free registration to a Conquer The Gauntlet™ race to defend their title. The second place male and female overall will receive $100 cash, and the third place male and female overall will receive $50 cash.
To receive the distinction of the overall 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place champion you must run in the first wave/start time of the day and complete every obstacle.
All spectating is $5 and will be charged at the entrance. This will provide access to the entire course. You must remain off the main running trail and out of the way of the runners. Ages 14 and under are free.
Parking will be $10.
Post Party:
There will be an awards ceremony and a band will play afterward. There will be food vendors onsite all day at each event. There will be lots of games and contests available as well. Come hang out!
You must arrive 1 hour before your start time. You may not check-in more than 1 hour before your start time. Participants will register for the time slot of their choosing.
The deadline to sign up, transfer your registration, or change your wave time is 6 days before race day. There is a $5 fee to change your wave time or transfer your registration. This fee will be $10 on race day.
We will also offer a $3 bag check for racers with all proceeds going to charity.
We are now a qualifying race for the OCR World Championships!
Yes, we love when groups run together. To run as a group, have all of your members sign-up for the same wave time or complete the group registration form. You will be timed individually and not as a team.
We offer group discounts for groups of 6 or more.
Coupons / Discount Codes:
Please see our obstacle course race discount & promotion page for all the latest discounts, promos, promotions, discount codes, and coupon codes for Kansas City Missouri Conquer the Gauntlet 2016. There also may be one listed at the top of this page.

subset: commoncrawl


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Ten years ago there might have been two handfuls of fashion sites on the Internet. Today, thousands of blogs focus on fashion – or at least on some portion of the fashion industry. Blogs have opened the door for anyone – no matter where they live – to publicize their personal style. Even the NY Times is getting in on the act, as 'T' will launch "The Moment," a blog that will be updated throughout the day by T editors, guest bloggers, and global correspondents later this year.
Since Web fashion picks are so numerous, we've culled 100 top blogs out of the hundreds of available fashion sites. The topics listed below cover everything from accessories to vintage, with a top ten list that was plucked from those topics. Each site is a blog, except for the online magazine category (although most of those magazines also carry blogs). These blogs were chosen for frequent and recently updated blog entries, a focus on fashion, and for their attitudes and/or perspectives – no matter if they're amateurs or professionals. Please note that the blog numbering is not meant to be a ranking, as each fashion topic is listed in alphabetical order with the listed blogs also listed in alphabetical order within that topic.
Top Ten
The following ten sites were plucked from this list's topics as the 'best of the best' from each one of the topics in this list. You'll find the topics listed below these top ten blogs.
- Beauty Addict: Kristen Kelly had so much makeup during her teen years that she used a trunk to haul it around. She founded Beauty Addict in September 2005 as a way to share her product obsessions with the world. Beauty Addict is now one of the largest independent beauty blogs on the web and has been featured in The New York Times, Allure, and other publications.
- DC Goodwill Fashion Blog: Are you kidding? This blog is the best! Not only does Goodwill provide job training and employment services to people with disadvantages and disabilities, they now provide readers with the hottest retro fashion ideas at bargain-basement prices – and the styles aren't necessarily from Goodwill. Think Hot Topic, Forever 21, etc., as well as frequent hints to visit the DC Goodwill eBay Store.
- Fashion Wire Daily: Hardcore, down to business, hot news about the fashion industry. You can take this site to the bank. On average, FWD posts 10 stories and 50 photos each day in categories like fashion, beauty, and runway.
- Fashionista: This blog is "an online explosion of personalities, companies, events and trends that shape the fashion universe." The writers chronicle the fashion trail from the runway to the first Canal Street knockoffs as they cough up the latest in supermodel gossip.
- Shoe Blog: If you've got a thing for shoes, you'll love, love, love this blog. From sandals to boots and from Azzedine Alaia to Zappos, this blog has it all.
- Street Peeper: Street fashion from Amsterdam to "Elsewhere." The list of bloggers, photographers, and general contributors is enough to make you drool with anticipation over what these on-the-edge individuals will bring to the site.
- Style Bubble: Susie Bubble's musings, thoughts, takes, observations on the joys and trials and tribulations on the art of fashion/style. From living space to accessories and total fashion critique, you'll find a pleasant down-to-earth perspective here.
- The Art of the Steal: Amanda Failing has a fine arts background (hence the "art"), so she uses her sense of composition, color, rhythm and balance to replicate the hottest outfits at a discount or to find new trends that would fit in a working woman's budget. She's darn good at the pricing part – hence the "steal."
- The Pretty Pear: Colleen discusses all aspects of a happy, stylish plus-size lifestyle. She believes that women of size are beautiful and deserve beautiful clothing, shoes, and accessories just as much as "average" sized women.
- Vintage Fashion Guild: The ultimate vintage clothing site for anyone who's searching for clothes shown and sold online. Several times per week you'll see new posts about featured members or strange and beautiful couture brought to the guild's attention by a guild member.
Topics Covered In This List
Accessories | Beauty | Celeb/Model | Lifestyle | Lingerie | News & Tips | Online Magazines | Plus Sizes | Shoppers | Street Fashion | Vintage & Thrift
Check out the blogs listed below for some super accessorizing ideas. Sorry, we can't include them all (like "Let's Talk Jewelry" or BagBliss or Shoebunny), as there are literally hundreds of accessory blogs out there!
- In My Bag: A former NYC garment center girl, this blogger has worked in nearly every aspect of the fashion industry…but handbags have always been her passion, and it shows in this blog. If you can't find the latest bag here, you won't find it anywhere!
- In Yr Fshn: An accessory-oriented blog that dwells mostly on jewelry.
- Purse Blog: The top bags on the market make it to this blog, although you can discover alternatives or discuss the possibilities on this site's forums. The links to other sites are minimal, however. If you crave searching through sites filled with handbags, then head to What's Haute, where you can find dozens of links (and a great purse and accessories blog as well!). Or, if you're searching for bags and accessories, you might try the Bag Lady's blog.
- Shoewawa: If the Shoe Blog listed in the 'top ten' isn't enough for you, then this blog might continue to sate your shoe hunger. You'll find few repetitions between the two sites.
- The Jewelry Blog: Cluny Grey is a former instructor of college English and Humanities through the Arts who has turned into a jewelry designer. Most of the jewelry she makes can be seen at Cluny Grey Jewelry or at Studio G Jewelry. Her blog is about jewelry designing and creating.
- The Jewelry Weblog: A great blog that will point you to various online shops for vintage and current pieces.
- Wendy Brandes Jewelry: Wendy designs fine jewelry under the name Gigi Caron, but she'll soon re-launch under her original name, Wendy Brandes. She writes about jewelry, fashion, medieval history, feminism, dogs, and "anything else that suits me at the moment." You'll be able to read about her inspirations for her fab jewelry, without a doubt!
The hottest outfit in the world wouldn't fly without carefully applied makeup. Even more importantly, you need to take care of the canvas for that makeup. These blogs cover these topics and more with the latest products on the market.
- 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic: Who has more than 15 minutes for a beauty ritual in the morning? If you can relate, then here's your guide.
- Beauty Snob: From details like your eyes to your total body, the 'Snob' covers it all with hints, tips, and lessons on how to handle all that.
- Bergdorf Goodman: Outside the fact that this is a great blog about makeup that's new to the market, this store site is generous enough to provide links to dozens of other makeup and beauty sites. A definite keeper.
- Frugal Glam: Unfortunately, the 'frugal' part of this blog isn't necessarily for readers. The blogger considers herself an unofficial product tester and fishes for product samples. But, you can save money if you trust this blogger's reviews on everything from nail polish to skin cream.
- Makeup Bag: Erika Valente, the beauty editor of Makeup Bag, is a 36-year-old mother of four and a self-professed beauty product junkie. Erika's daughter, Bree, contributes to the 'teen' section in this luscious site.
- Makeup Minute: For Shannon Nelson, beauty and fashion is not just about a great lipstick or accessory – it's about being able to connect and relate with others who share her passion. But, she shares a wonderful selection of beauty items and breaks many of them down so shoppers know exactly what they're going after.
Celeb and Model Fashion
While some of you may yawn over celeb and runway flair, others fawn over sites like Kiss Me, Stace or Young, Black, and Fabulous. Here are some of the best celeb/model fashion sites on the Web, based upon photo clarity, a hot attitude, and a fashion focus (gossip ranks low on the totem pole).
- Blogging Project Runway: Yes, there are dozens of Project Runway blogs on the Internet, but Laura K does a fantastic job on keeping up with the looks, timeline, and gossip on this fashion show. You can find all three seasons here.
- Catwalk Queen 404: This link leads to 'Celebrity Fashion,' but you can find trends, fashion news, and tips on how to get the 'celeb' look at this site as well.
- Fashion Addict Diary: F.A.D. provides photos, gossip, and images of the hottest or most talked-about stars, celebs, and personalities.
- Go Fug Yourself: Whether you pray for this type of publicity or not is up to you, as this site entertains about four million viewers per day. This popular site is filled with celeb fashion (or celeb strangeness), and edited with a keen sense of the absurd.
- Hip Candy: A sensible blog about what's hot and what's not in Hollywood and beyond. Some of the items are priced, and other entries look closely at celeb and runway style for replication.
- coolchiq: Why be comfortable when you can be stylish? One of the best sites to find the edgiest looks around.
- Jezebel: Celebrity fashion "without airbrushing."
- PopSugar: This link will take you to the Celebrity section of this online venue, where you can also find categories such as beauty and fashion. The photos are clear, large, and, therefore, easy to decipher the intricate details of the clothing.
- The Glossy : If the runway is more up your alley, The Glossy has that for you. Very little commentary, lots of images, and a great link list to couture sites.
- V-Style: A personal stylist, Vanessa brings on the celebs and models as well as advice on how to wear the latest trends.
- WatchTrend: Celeb news with photos and with a focus on fashion and style.
- Who What Wear: This new site runs on the philosophy of "We don't care who you date or if you eat. We only care about what you wear." You'll find large images (great for copying trends) and a forum devoted to who was wearing what and when.
Fashion is more than clothes on the rack – it's all about lifestyle! The blogs below focus on fashion, but they also cover accessories, decor, and more.
- B-Tique, Lifestyle & Fashion: The authors – two fashion professionals – believe their names aren't that relevant as their content will speak for itself. This blog offers enough photos that you'll never need another fashion magazine. Click on the small images to see a larger detailed shot.
- Daily Candy: Don't you dare book that trip to LA (or any other major city for that matter) without reading about the local hot haute hints provided by this blog. This is the best insider's guide to what's hot, new, and undiscovered — from fashion and style to gadgets and travel.
- Fashion Tribes: Blog and podcast from the experts on fashion, beauty, lifestyle, and pop culture.
- High Snobiety: It isn't all Vogue, you know. Find the best in streetwear at this blog.
- La Femme: This 'eurobrat' has a passion for fashion, literature, independent music, street art, and "general beauty in the world."
- StyleHive: This blog is part of a larger global social shopping community, dedicated to discovering and sharing the most exciting products, the stores that sell them, and the people that find them. The blog picks the hottest finds for readers, but feel free to browse the entire site (you don't need to join to look!).
- Style Tribe: This author believes in style, not in buying for buying's sake. While fashion is the focus, this retail store co-owner and writer also embraces a stylish lifestyle.
The four sites below keep it clean as they show off the latest undergarments, and they all offer a different perspective on their choices.
- Knickers: Knickers is a fashion weblog dedicated to all things lingerie: it features new collections, coupons, designers, and of course, points out beautiful lingerie for women every day. Find practical collections, designed for practical fashion.
- Petite Coquette: On the other hand, you can go all out sexy with the lingerie featured on this site. This blog discusses sites, shops, collections, and news around new collections, sales and curiosities.
News & Tips
This category is a bit different than the moneymaking online magazines, as these site owners rely on less money and more on their perspectives to bring in readers. But, it's not all about the news (or the gossip), as many of these sites also offer fashion tips.
- Chic Inspector: The Chic Inspector keeps a close ear (and eye!) to the ground in New York City to bring fashion trends, gossip, and more.
- Coquette: Why read anything else first, when this site's 'Web Snob Weekly Roundup' will send you to the best of the best in fashion blogs for that week?
- Courorture: Grab the latest fashion news and visit the blogs associated with this site. You'll find everything here from fashion to accessories to beauty and beyond.
- Bridal Party Blog: BridalPartyTees blog was established to provide independent Bridal Fashion related news and tips. Bridal Party Tees Blog also gives updates on the hottest shoes, apparel, accessories, and beauty styles. The editor, Natasha, is a cosmetologist, and while she loves clothes and fashion, her forte is hair.
- Fashion Trend Guide: Nothing would make this blogger happier than to travel the world to report on fashion trends. But, she's currently stuck in Santa Barbara in southern California, so she reports on local and global trends from her stationary computer.
- Fops and Dandies: This blog is entertaining and educational, as the contributors are curious, they travel a lot, and they know haberdashery. Walk away with stylish knowledge!
- Hint Blog: Hint Fashion Magazine offers more than haute fashion trends and collections for both genders – they also dish up the latest fashion news with this blog.
- I Heart That: This blog strives to bring you only the latest in fashion and comment on the current trends that the celebrities and models are wearing. Items aren't limited by price – only by the desire to own it!
- MARRIA® Fashion Blog: Maria Patapis brings on the fashion news from Down Under in Australia with panache.
- Omiru: The ultimate site for fashion tips. The authors answer questions and offer advice. It's all good. Very, very good.
Online Magazines
Fashion magazines, for the most part, have caught on to the blogging frenzy. This is a good thing for fashionistas, as you can use sites like Sassybella and the others listed below to stay on top of current popular trends.
- Borderline: Check out this magazine, where you can catch glimpses of street fashion in New York and beyond, articles, DIY information and more. Join in and submit your photos!
- Elegant Plus: If you're a curvaceous lady, then you may want to take a look at what this magazine offers to plus-sized women. Although they don't offer a blog, you can find many articles here. Plus, you can check out the 'Plus Sizes' blogs listed just below.
- Fashion Riot: A group of clothes-obsessed style junkies with tingling extremities and a passion for fashion run this magazine, a place to discover the hottest trends from all over the globe.
- Fashion Week Daily: Any serious fashion diva already knows about this site. If you're not tuned in, you best go there now to discover the latest from every fashion nook and cranny.
- Female First: This link will take you to the 'fashion and beauty' section of this online magazine. You'll find trends, celeb fashion, and more.
- Glossed Over: Read it here first, and you won't need to purchase the print magazines. A sometimes-irreverent look at celebs and fashion is included.
- Papierdoll: This is a clean and neat little site that carries a huge punch with three blogs. You'll find everything from daily fashion updates and musings to savvy shopping deals (we're talking bargain here!).
- Style.com: More of a portal than a blog, you still can rest assured that this site is updated daily with the best from the likes of Vogue and W. Don't miss the fashion shows, the news, and the gossip!
- Women's Wear Daily: WWD is the classic women's fashion magazine, and it's been around so long that it's often known as the "fashion bible."
Plus Sizes
From curvy to Venus divas and from beauty to chic, these five blogs address plus-sized women only.
- Beauty Plus Power: Beauty Plus Power is the largest online directory of plus-size clothing options for women who wear a size 12 and larger. Lisa brings more to the site with her blog that focuses on the fact that size has nothing to do with style.
- Curvy Divas : This blog is part of the Curvy Divas portal, where you can find a shopping directory, style notes, and more.
- Fat Chic: Fat Chic is plus-size fashion and cultural criticism. Expect sass, confidence, and self-respect for style at any size. This site also provides links to dozens of other resources.
- Plus Size Clothing Scoop: Gain access to plus-size fashion coverage, including industry news, coupons, deals, and new plus-size store announcements and reviews.
- Venus Divas: This link will take you to the fashion area of this multi-categorized blog for plus-size divas. You can also learn more about beauty, books, lifestyle, news, and shopping. These blogs are all part of Venus Divas Magazine.
All the blogs listed below carry prices on items that they show. Some authors are personal shoppers for hire. Others are self-made stylists or they have a skill with replication (recreating an expensive look for less). All offer education on what we can afford!
- 55 Secret Street: Anovelista scours the Web and the street to find sales and top products at prices the average Jane can afford. You'll find everything here from beauty products to fashion to all the gadgets that will keep you in style.
- Daddy Likey: Winona is all over the place – decor, boots, gloves, dresses…but whatever she presents always has a price and a place to buy. Or, she presents an alternative for those who are on a budget.
- fashion nette-work: Tired of your style (or lack thereof?), or do you need a wardrobe revamp? Do you want to get educated about creating your own unique look? Contact this blogger for consultations, personal shopping and closet cleanouts for pricing.
- fasshonburu: This blogger has caviar taste on a hot dog budget, which should appeal to a majority of women who seek high style at low prices.
- Mrs. Fashion: A married woman's reverie on fashion, style, celebrity, art, movies and music, all from the UK (London to be specific). You'll have fun with the prices – hot styles on the skinny.
- I Like Her Style: Sylvia scans the celebs and copies their styles with clothing that she's priced for you. She does a remarkable job with matching up the clothing and accessories.
- SheFinds: You can relax. SheFinds studies the trends and surfs the web for the best items and then sends you a link in their weekly newsletter. They also find online coupons for you if they exist.
- Shopalicious: Need some retail therapy? With an eye on trends and a soft spot for all things fashionable, this blog aims to dish out delicious deals daily along with coupons.
- The Budget Fashionista: Kathryn Finney brings her love for fashion and her debt-ridden lifestyle to readers. Her goal is to get out of debt with style, and she shows you how.
Street Fashion
These blogs are fascinating, as most of them focus only on fashion in a given corner of the world, worn by average individuals. Other sites also focus on local sales or how global trends might create an impact locally.
- eye4style: While this blog is more of a "shopper" type site, the blogger's location is in New York and she focuses on sales that only New Yorkers can participate in. But, if you're not from New York, never fear…she also includes online sales and bargains.
- Hel Looks: This site is a hobby project of Liisa Jokinen and Sampo Karjalainen of selected street fashion from Helsinki, the capital of Finland. The pictures are taken in the streets and clubs of Helsinki from July 2005 onwards.
- I want – I got: This blogger is a techy nerd with a passion for fashion. This blog initially started as online ramblings but she hopes to provide people in the Toronto area with information related to "fashion, shopping and cool stuff."
- Style Bites: A California girl moved to Prague to chase her European dreams and ended up working in the fashion biz. Now bouncing back and forth to NYC, she shares her devotion to fashion and obsessions with Chloe, vintage, and accessories.
- The Sartorialist: Selected as one of Time Magazine's top 100 fashion influencers, the Sartorialist brings high street fashion to your door.
- Urban Updater: Los Angeles fashionista Lindsey moved to New York, and now she blogs about the everyday juicy items she runs across in the Big Apple.
Vintage and Thrift
No, "Vintage" and "Thrift" aren't the same, but both topics are hot at the moment. So we compiled this list of sites that are both vintage and that can be thrifty, or visa-versa. Many of the bloggers sell what they find through online store or on eBay, so you can share in their bounty!
- I Spy, Thrift Eye: This is just a fun little site, authored by a woman who's obsessed with thrift store finds and with matching them up with celeb fashion.
- Life of a Jersey Girl: Carol owns this blog and she also owns Dandelion Vintage Clothing, online since 1997. She sells vintage clothing, lingerie, and accessories from the 1900s to the mid-1960s. Fresh vintage stock at very reasonable prices is added every Monday.
- Lizzie's Vintage Travel Journal: Lizzie writes about a nice collection of old fashion ads, fabrics, and clothing. Occasionally, she'll offer something that she finds for sale. Or, she'll just tease you with some perfect piece as she states that it's hers and hers alone.
- Lulu's Vintage: "The Retro Retreat for the Fashion Elite," is the motto here. You can view vintage delights and click to the online store where they're for sale. Lulu carries some vintage items for sale as well, so you'll have a great time if you're into old and beautiful threads and patterns.
- Sally Jane Vintage: Sally Jane offers vintage finds and original designs for sale at SallyJaneVintage.com. Her blog is a behind-the-scenes view on how she discovers her finds and how she puts them together.
- The Happy Hippie: Hippies aren't dead. This blog might have fit under the 'lifestyle' category, but its retro theme carried it all the way to vintage.
- The Thrifty Fashionista: "99 cent Flip Flops & a Louis Vuitton" is the attitude carried by this blogger. She loves stoop sales, lives for clothing swaps, and would like to make a living with shopping. When she does, we'll move her to the "shopper" category.
- The Vintage Society: The "Society Girl" entries are flattering and inspirational and the other blog entries cover everything you need to know about how to carry that vintage outfit off.
- Vintage Style Files: After 20 years in the food industry, this blogger decided to open a vintage clothing business at Blue Velvet Vintage. This blog represents her lifelong love for vintage clothes.
- Zuburbia: This blog features a Vintage Pick of the Day (VPOD), PLUS insights, tips and information for today's current and future vintage fashionistas. She'll also consider purchasing your vintage pieces.


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The combat shirt evolved. The same durability and protection of a combat jacket with the comfort of the original combat shirt with the addition of a 1/4 zip front with mandarin collar for added protection. Based off the current military design that helps reduce the severity of burn injuries while providing a more comfortable uniform top under body armor and vests. The body of the shirt is made from 60% cotton, 40% CORDURA® Baselayer fabric that meets the No melt, No drip thermal requirements officers demand while keeping them cool and dry by wicking away moisture from the body. Tru-Spec's high-performance combat shirt comes in multiple colors including the popular multicam black and tan variants.
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How to Choose a Heart Rate Monitor
A heart rate monitor is a very useful tool to help measure and improve your fitness level. At Eastern Mountain Sports, heart rate monitors are increasingly popular across all sports and levels. In this article, we'll give you a quick understanding of how heart rate monitors work, why they're so useful, and how to choose the right device for you (feel free to skip ahead!).
What is a Heart Rate Monitor?
Heart rate monitors (HRMs) come in several forms. Maybe you had one of those funny little clips placed on your finger at the doctor's office to monitor your heart rate during your last check-up. You've probably also watched the peaks and valleys of someone's heartbeat float across a monitor in a hospital setting, whether in real life or during that House marathon you secretly watched in your pajamas last weekend.
In the outdoor and fitness worlds, however, a HEART RATE MONITOR typically takes the form of a wrist watch. (In fact, in many cases, these HRMs can be worn as regular watches when you're not working out.) When you exercise, a HRM does exactly what it sounds like it does—monitors your heart rate. Additionally, depending on the model, a HRM can also tell you: how many calories you're burning, where you're running/cycling/walking/hiking, your pace/speed and distance, when you need to eat, and loads of other information that can help you in your quest to become fitter, faster, or stronger.
Who Uses a Heart Rate Monitor?
Despite what you may think, they aren't just for the elites—lots of people use heart rate monitors for lots of different reasons. Whether you're training for a road race, preparing for a cycling event, making an attempt at a speed hiking record, or just want to drop a few pounds, training with an HRM can make achieving your goals easier, more efficient, and maybe even a little more fun.
Do You Really Need a Heart Rate Monitor?
If you only want to know steps, distance, and approximate calories burned during your nightly walk with the dog, a pedometer with its internal pendulum will suit you just fine. However, if you're looking for more detailed and accurate information about your current level of fitness so you can make progress toward improving it, a heart rate monitor is the way to go.
Your heart rate is one of the best, most easily measurable indicators of overall fitness. When exercising, your heart pushes oxygen-rich blood from your lungs to your muscles (which burn the oxygen like a car burns fuel) and back again. The harder you push, the more fuel your muscles demand, and the harder your heart beats.
To maximize the benefits of exercise, you need to tailor the intensity of your training to what your body is capable of...and your heart rate acts as the gauge for modifying your efforts. As you gain fitness, your heart becomes more efficient, pumping more blood to your muscles with fewer beats. A heart rate monitor allows you to track your heart rate and see whether it's staying at the same level or decreasing as your training progresses.
Heart rate monitors utilize chest straps with low-bulk sensors to detect your heart rate and wirelessly transmit the data to the wrist unit where you can see how hard and efficiently your heart is pumping. The data is always expressed in "beats per minute," or BPM.
Higher-end HRMs feature wrist units and chest straps with special coding—such as ANT+ technology—to eliminate interference, or "cross-talk," with other devices. (This is particularly useful if you train at a gym where there are a lot of other similar data transmissions flying around.)
Do I Need to Wear a Chest Strap?
There are some models of heart rate monitors that don't require a chest strap, but the HRMs that do use them are far more accurate.
Are the Chest Straps Uncomfortable?
As long as you're wearing the strap properly, you'll most likely forget it's even there. For women, HRM chest straps typically end up sitting in the same place as the band in your sports bra, so it's a sensation you're already accustomed to.
These straps generally consist of a stretchy fabric band and a hard plastic piece that rests in the center of your chest (at the top of your rib cage). One thing to keep in mind is that the smaller the plastic piece is, the more comfortable the strap will be.
While there are many heart rate monitors to choose from, picking the right one isn't as overwhelming as it may seem. Not to overly simplify, but the price increases with the number of performance features—think: "basic, better, best."
In many cases, you simply do not need tons of features. On the other hand, a heart rate monitor is an investment that lasts for years, and we would advise that you select the highest level heart rate monitor you think you'll need so you're not "penny wise and pound foolish."
"Basic" Heart Rate Monitors
The basic models tend to run in the $60-$120 range and generally provide three key pieces of information: heart rate, calories burned, and time in zone (more on heart rate zones later). These HRMs also typically allow you to set custom heart rate zones based on your fitness level. In addition, these models will usually have a stopwatch feature, lap timer, and basic watch functions like time, date, and an alarm. When you're done, you'll be able to see a workout summary that will provide your average and maximum heart rates, workout duration, and total calorie expenditure.
These devices are perfect for people who aren't super-serious about training, but who want to make sure they get the most out of each workout. If you run a few times a week, like to hit the gym on your way home from work, or begin your days with a brisk walk and want proof that your efforts are paying off, stick with one of these "lower-end" heart rate monitors.
"Better" Heart Rate Monitors
These middle-of-the-road models will perform the same functions as the basic models while adding a few more features. They can range in price from $120-$300, depending on whether or not they incorporate GPS and altimeter functions. These heart rate monitors also offer personalized information that takes into consideration factors such as how well your heart rate has recovered from your last exercise session. (As you get fitter, your heart rate will recover more quickly.)
Mid-level units are often sport-specific (e.g., running or cycling), and they offer at-a-glance intensity level indicators and prompts that coach you into dialing it up or toning it down. They are also often compatible with other sensors—such as a foot pod for running or a cadence sensor for cycling—to monitor speed and distance. If you're going to use your HRM to train for road races, cycling events, or even triathlons, a device from the "better" range will be exactly what you need to maximize your efforts.
The "best" HRMs provide a wealth of information, and will help you analyze nearly every aspect of your training, regardless of sport. Predictably, they are also the most expensive, ranging from $300 to $550. Most of the devices in this category are equipped with not only GPS, but also provide altimeter and barometer functionality.
While this class of HRM is suitable for any type of training, their altimeter/barometer features make them particularly suitable for athletes who primarily train in the mountains. Whether you're trail running, hiking, skiing, or mountain biking, these devices will track all the data you care about most and help you reach your fitness peak.
You'll notice that most heart rate monitors allow for zone training. There are multiple zones, and each one helps you in your pursuit of improved fitness in a different way. Here's what you need to know about each zone:
i. Workouts below 60% of your maximum heart rate (max HR) feels like everyday exercise (e.g., walking, going up stairs) and is very easy on your body, which is ideal for recovering from bigger workouts or just starting a training program ii. Workouts at 60-70% of your max HR is ideal for longer cardiovascular workouts and burns a lot of your body's stored fat iii. Workouts at 70-80% of your max HR starts to feel like hard work, and works to improve your efficiency of movement by forming lactic acid at a rate which your body can still able flush out iv. Workouts at 80-90% of your max HR can lead to overtraining, but is great training for competition when done carefully (e.g., interval training, speed work) v. Workouts above 90% of your max HR need to be done carefully and in a controlled manner, because they build lactic acid faster than your body can flush it out, and can lead to injury
How Do I Determine My Maximum Heart Rate?
Good question. You've likely encountered the old 220 – your age = max HR formula at some point, but this is probably the most inaccurate method. Unfortunately, the best way to determine max HR is with a maximal stress test in a lab, which most of us don't have the time or money for.
Many HRMs will tell you how to calculate your max HR (usually with some sort of fitness test), so your best bet is to follow the instructions your device comes with. You can also consult your doctor or a professional trainer for additional advice.
Why is Zone Training Important?
To exercise at the right level—regardless of sport or activity—your heart needs to work at a certain percentage of its maximum to make progress. Exercise at too high an intensity and you'll hit the wall; too low and you won't see any improvement. HRMs monitor your percentage of maximum heart rate zone so you consistently train at the right intensity.
Without an HRM, most of us either under-train or over-train: we expend too much or too little energy, we might take too long to recover, and we make slow (or no) progress in our quest for better fitness. It's difficult to be objective about our fitness level without some outside help.
Lack of sleep, job stress, overtraining, and illness or injury can impact our fitness in ways we may generally feel, but can't really measure. That's why we can't understand why we won't lose those last 4 pounds or can't run that last mile as fast as we want to. Heart rate monitors—even the "basic" ones—provide objective information to help us measure our improvement.


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Instacast 3 is both iterative and something different. No longer divided into separate iPhone and iPad apps, Instacast 3 is universal, also eschewing the in-app purchase model introduced with Instacast 2. And at its core, iCloud sync has been gutted and replaced with Vemedio's own syncing solution that's faster and less error prone (an in-house solution that works with WebDAV.). On the iPad, Vemedio has completely redesigned their Twitter-for-iPad inspired interface in favor of a more parallel experience with the iPhone. Just as Apple makes small iterations to their hardware, Vemedio has made small iterations to their software.
The previous in-app purchase model and lack of parity between Instacast's apps ended up being confusing for customers. Couple that with slow and sometimes inconsistent syncing over iCloud, and Vemedio had no choice but to completely rebuild the engine underneath the hood. It's unfortunate that iCloud isn't as reliable as it could be. Progressively, it felt like Instacast sync was getting worse throughout its lifespan. At launch, I found Instacast's sync to be quite good. By the end I simply dealt with its problems.
Instacast 3 is a response to solving these core issues. It's also a response to finding a pricing model that works. It's a single app costing $4.99 that gives you all of the features right out of the box. No in-app purchases. No subscriptions. Just an app. You will need to sign up for a free account from the settings to enable sync — it's simply a username and password to associate Cloud Sync with you.
The upgrade to Instacast 3 isn't free for previous customers. As the App Store doesn't offer a way to pay for upgrades, Vemedio decided to launch a brand new application. In fact, this is how The Iconfactory handled Wednesday's launch of Twitterrific 5. Vemedio charges for apps (and previously charged additional for extra features) to recoup development costs and maintain their podcast directory. I want to see Instacast stick around. I'm personally happy to the pay for the app. It's been my mainstay for podcasts for a long time and I don't want that to stop.
Instacast 3's Cloud Sync is much improved over iCloud. Having the privilege to use Instacast while it was in beta, it is as fast as Vemedio promises it should be. With iCloud, the best results were had if you waited a few minutes. The best analogy I've got is how long it takes to make your cup of coffee. The new Cloud Sync? It's pretty quick. I can pause Instacast on my iPhone, put it to sleep, pick up my iPad, and it will sync up where I last left off. Instacast couldn't always sync up podcasts between now playing views, especially if I was playing different podcasts concurrently (who would do that?), although that's to be expected. You can try to nitpick and intentionally break the sync, but I think it works as intended.
Some people on Twitter have been vocal that they cannot get past the initial Sync Reset when importing their subscriptions from iCloud into the new Cloud Sync. A bug's a bug, and the next version of Instacast, 3.0.1, reportedly fixes this issue. As for syncing problems, it has not been representative of my experience. I've never had my 13 subscriptions (with others parked) not sync in the new engine. Maybe it's launch day server strain. Maybe subscriptions aren't being rejiggered correctly for Cloud Sync. Regardless, I suggest trying again, or resubscribing to your podcasts as a method of troubleshooting. Cloud Sync has been great in my time reviewing the app.
A problem for me, however, has been with refreshing subscriptions. When refreshing subscriptions, either manually or automatically, Instacast's interface becomes unresponsive. It's a sore point to make, but it's definitely jarring. Imagine refreshing Reeder and not being able to browse articles as your subscriptions are loading new entries. Eventually responsiveness is restored after a few seconds.
Cloud Sync underpins many of the design changes that have been made. Particularly, Instacast 3 on the iPad now shares most of the same concepts as the iPhone app. The main difference is that instead of having subscriptions displayed in a list, they're displayed in a grid. My main complaint with the subscription gutter in Instacast HD was that moving subscriptions was a chore. In Instacast 3, reordering a grid of podcasts is no different than rearranging apps on your home screen. What sweetens the deal for me? If you add new subscriptions on your iPhone, you can watch them appear on your iPad during the next sync.
The parity between interfaces also means that smart playlists and custom playlists are now available on the iPad. Smart playlists aren't any smarter, but custom playlists have become slightly more convenient. Adding subscriptions to your custom playlist will add all currently unplayed episodes, rather than waiting for new episodes to show up during the next refresh. As a strange omission, there is no section for bookmarks on the iPad as there is on the iPhone.
I don't know if I particularly care for an update made to the episode list. Archived episodes, which had their own view in the first Instacast and were later moved underneath an archive label in Instacast 2, are now completely hidden. They can be recovered by revisiting a subscription's settings and tapping a big Recover Deleted Episodes button, but I can't say it's particularly easy to find and it makes listening to a subscription's back catalogue difficult.
Substantially better is how Instacast handles downloads. A storage limit, whether it be 512 MB or 5 GB, can be decided in the settings. Once the storage limit is reached, the played, non-favorites, and oldest downloaded episodes will be deleted first. You can also manually manage storage on your device by visiting Offline Storage in the settings.
I haven't warmed up to the changes made to the now playing view. The same controls are still there on the iPhone, but instead of sliding up you slide left to reveal them. On the iPad, controls are matched with the iPhone's except that they're revealed by tapping a wrench icon. In keeping the interfaces mostly the same, I feel like there's lots of wasted space on the iPad. Artwork is small, and controls are grouped tightly together at the bottom of the display. In both the iPhone and iPad (landscape) interfaces, the volume slider is hidden with these extra controls. For the iPhone, using the scrubber sometimes led to accidental swipes revealing the extra controls. I don't think these controls are better iterations of what they were previously. For the iPad especially, I think having show notes and links displayed alongside the artwork might make better use of that space (instead of having them in a popover through a link button).
While Instacast HD was laced with great animations and cool sliding panels, bringing it to parity with the the iPhone interface ultimately leads to a much more holistic and intuitive experience. It just feels a lot faster. On the iPhone Instacast is largely unchanged. Vemedio is trying something new for the now playing screens, but I don't know if it was necessary. Overall, Instacast offers a consistent experience across all devices.
Of the big two podcatchers, a question a lot of people ask is, "Should I use Instacast or Downcast?" I don't think people using Downcast are going to be persuaded to use Instacast. I think that's perfectly fine. Fundamentally, Instacast and Downcast are very different apps with very different opinions on how podcasts should be consumed. How the apps look, behave, and deal with settings and playlists are completely opposite. Let's take a look at playlists as an example. In Downcast, playlists are built with very specific filters that pull in podcasts that meet the requirements you set. In Instacast, it's completely reversed. You specify the settings you want per podcast, then push podcasts to playlists you want them to show up in. Depending on how you want to manage podcasts, I don't think one camp is compatible with the other.
Instacast's best improvements lie behind the interface. Instacast 3 could reasonably be compared to an iPhone update — same skin, different guts. Cloud Sync, at least in my time with Instacast leading up to the launch, has been substantially better than the previous iCloud implementation. In their FAQ, Vemedio even states that the foundation they've laid paves the way for an OS X app. Currently, it seems that a sync app is in the works so that you can manage subscriptions from a local server. For $4.99, Instacast 3 is selling you an app that has their own Cloud Syncing solution, a better iPad interface, and a new storage limit feature for better managing downloads.
Instacast 3 is now available on the App Store. (Instacast 3 requires iOS 6.)
Editors note: Originally I wrote that Instacast 3's Cloud Sync was based on Simperium Sync. While it was evaluated for this release, Vemedio ended up rolling their own custom file based solution that works with simple WebDAV servers.


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Saturday, July 16, 2011
Welcome to the world
I'm heading off to the 'big' city here soon so I'm gonna jump right into my card for the day...
My bloggin' peep, Rinne, delivered a beautiful baby boy recently and I wanted to send her a special little something to help welcome sweet Oliver into the world. Now, I don't own a whole lot of crafty baby type stamps and goodies and while I could have gone with my usual LOTV 'go-to' something about it didn't quite jive with Rinne's fun and eclectic style. So I was stumped for a while on what I wanted to do. Then yesterday I spotted the new challenge over at Some Odd Girl to Lift an Odd Girl and that got me to remembering that Kristy had a fun digi baby image in her shop. As soon as I checked him out I knew that he would be perfect for Rinne's card.
Now all I needed to do was choose one of the many fab card designs to lift from the talented Odd Teamies and I would have my card done in no time! I finally settled on this fantastic card made by Leah. It had been a while since I made a circle card and her cool layout design with the random mix of buttons and pearls really drew me in. I dug deep into my precious stash of 'classic' KI Memories until I found these papers from the Expecting line and just went to town. Too much fun!
Now this card is heading down to Cali as we speak and I hope that Rinne likes it! :)
Have a good one!
Supply list:
cardstock- Bazzill and Copic X-Press It
paper- KI Memories (expecting)
digi stamp- Some Odd Girl (Tiny Baby)
Kaiser Craft pearls
Shabby Green Door twine
plastic safety pin charm
Sharpie white marker
Copic markers:
skin- E00, E21, E13, R00, R20
hair- T5, T7, T9
eyes- E35, E57, E59
diaper- C0, 0
26 comments:
- cowboydutrem said...
Awww that baby is way too cute!!!
- July 16, 2011 at 6:14 AM
- Larisa said...
LOve this baby so much! very beautiful card Amy! )))))
- July 16, 2011 at 6:30 AM
- gobeagirl said...
Amy this is just too darn cute! I wish I could have more babies so that you would send it to me. lol...Honestly this is just wonderful! I love, love your papers and that baby just melts my heart. Love those huge eyes. I also have to ask to steal your color combo for his skin. Perfect for those little Mexican/Indian/Italian babies of mine. Love it. Hope you have a rocking weekend. Hugs, Lisa
- July 16, 2011 at 7:15 AM
- RiNNE said...
Awww, Amy!! I looooooovvvve it!! You are too sweet and thoughtful! I just added this lil cutie to my collection..he's adorable! Leah's style is definitely wonderful...the buttons and safety pin are perfect! Can't wait to see it in person. You are the sweetest....XOXO!!! :)
- July 16, 2011 at 7:17 AM
- Liliya said...
Soooooo cute!!!! Beautiful card!!!
- July 16, 2011 at 7:29 AM
- kris said...
Awesomely CUTE!!! really really cute! so cute i'm stumped with descriptions... it's just CUTE!!! awww, makes me want to have another one.... LOL, jus' kidding!!!!!
- July 16, 2011 at 7:48 AM
- Craftdee said...
GORGEOUS!! So cute, great papers and design. You've coloured the bub up so beautifully, I just got to have it! now I've got to go and get me another digistamp, lol. Dee
- July 16, 2011 at 8:45 AM
- Smolla said...
Очень милая открытка,как жаль что в России нет такого количества доступных скрап материалов(
- July 16, 2011 at 9:42 AM
- Karuna said...
this is so sweet! lil baby luks adorable and all those cute embellishments are just wow!
- July 16, 2011 at 11:05 AM
- Bumbles and Fairy-Tales said...
Awww, what a precious lil baby! Such a cute card! She's going to love it :)
Enjoy your city trip!
hugs, margie - July 16, 2011 at 11:54 AM
- Kit said...
such a cute card :o)
- July 16, 2011 at 12:36 PM
- Mimi said...
too cute! love the buttons and colors! adorable baby image... i'm sure your friend is gonna just looove it! ;)
- July 16, 2011 at 2:49 PM
- Patricia said...
Super cute card I love it =P
- July 16, 2011 at 3:21 PM
- Alice said...
awww.... this is too cute! love all the details. super card as always, Amy! BIG thanks for the happy mail!! you made my day! =) hope you have a fabulous weekend! =)
- July 16, 2011 at 7:16 PM
- Shirley N said...
So precious Amy!
- July 16, 2011 at 8:10 PM
- Brenda said...
Amy, such a fabulous card and an awesome lift. Love that it is your own style, yet I see the inspiration. I wouldn't expect any less from you of course!!
- July 16, 2011 at 8:29 PM
- Unknown said...
Such a precious card! Thanks for sharing :)
- July 16, 2011 at 9:41 PM
- Tasha said...
Oh Amy this is adorable, LOVE the colourwork the baby really pops! I love the embellishing too
love tasha xx - July 17, 2011 at 11:03 AM
- Loz said...
naw, hove stinkin' cute is this? :) so precious Amy, I love the text and that cute little safety pin ♥
- July 17, 2011 at 2:40 PM
- Robin said...
Fab card Amy!! Baby is fun and love the sentiments!
Robin - July 18, 2011 at 12:41 AM
- JoAnn V. (http://joboogie.typepad.com) said...
So pretty! That image and sentiment are perfect together! :)
- July 18, 2011 at 1:08 AM
- donna mikasa said...
How adorable! Love this circle card and I'm sure Rinne does, too! The diaper pin and buttons are such great embellies! Cute!!
- July 18, 2011 at 8:33 PM
- Juls said...
this is too too cute!!! I am in need of quite a few baby cards, so I think I will be off to download this image after your fab inspiration!! Love the colours and the gorgeous safty pin and button detail! Hugs Juls
- July 19, 2011 at 5:14 AM
- Åsa aká Scraphorse said...
LOVE your coloring!!!! Amazing!
Thanks for playing with us at Some Odd Girl! - July 19, 2011 at 12:42 PM
- Sandi said...
This is so good! Love your coloring!!! The safety pin is just too cute!
- July 19, 2011 at 2:16 PM
- Leanne said...
So cute Amy! That adorable little guy is perfect! I love his big brown eyes, you really can't say no. Rinne is goin to love it, she said so. hehehe. Hugs,
- July 26, 2011 at 11:18 AM


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Quantum physics is the focus of Nobel buzz
Three physicists whose research on entangled particles plays a key role in attempts to develop super-fast quantum computers could be in the running for the 2011 Nobel Prize in physics on Tuesday.
Although the award committee doesn't give any clues about candidates for the 10 million kronor ($1.5 million) award, Alain Aspect of France, John Clauser of the United States and Anton Zeilinger of Austria are the hottest names in the speculation this year.
For example, the trio is the top bet of leading Nobel-guesser Karin Bojs, the science editor of the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
The physicists' work on entangled quantum states shows that particles can be connected even across long distances so that a change in one of them impacts the other. Scientists believe that can be used in the development of quantum computers, many times faster than the computers used today.
Last year, Aspect, Clauser and Zeilinger won the Wolf Prize in Israel, which sometimes is a precursor to the Nobel.
Other contenders could include Israel's Yakir Aharonov and Britain's Michael Berry for work on the Aharonov-Bohm Effect and the related Berry Phase, also within quantum physics.
Developed by Aharonov and the late David Bohm in 1959, the theory explains the actions of parts of atoms around a magnetic field, allowing an electron effectively to split around the magnetic field and rejoin later.
The physics prize is the second Nobel Prize to be announced this year.
The medicine prize, announced Monday, went to American Bruce Beutler and French scientist Jules Hoffmann who shared it with Canadian-born Ralph Steinman for their discoveries about the immune system. Their research has opened up new avenues for the treatment and prevention of infectious illnesses and cancer.
Steinman died of pancreatic cancer three days before the announcement. The Nobel committee said it was unaware that then cell biologist had already died when it awarded the prize to him. The committee is only supposed to consider living scientists, but after an emergency meeting Monday, the Nobel Foundation said the decision on the prize to Steinman will remain unchanged.
The prestigious Nobel Prizes were established in the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, and have been handed out since 1901.
Last year's physics award went to Russian-born scientists Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for groundbreaking experiments with graphene, the strongest and thinnest material known to mankind.
The prizes are handed out every year on Dec. 10, on the anniversary of Nobel's death in 1896.
©2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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After historic court rulings, what's next for gay rights movement?
(CNN) -- For some people, Wednesday was a day to celebrate. Thursday, they get back to work.
Advocates of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights say they've gained fresh energy and hope after twin Supreme Court rulings advanced efforts to legalize same-sex marriage.
They want to ride that momentum for as far as possible -- making inroads on issues ranging from workplace discrimination protections, immigration reform to bully-free schools.
"This is absolutely historic, it's monumental," said Jody Huckaby, executive director of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, or PFLAG. "It may very well be that tipping point."
For people such as Huckaby, who heads a group with more than 360 chapters nationwide, what happened Wednesday was thrilling, but not totally surprising.
Yes, most states still bar same-sex marriage, many thanks to the passage of popular referendums. Yes, the federal government and most states don't protect gay, lesbian or transgendered workers.
But public opinion is moving in the direction of LGBT rights.
In the 1970s, polls showed most Americans believed homosexual relationships between consenting adults were morally wrong -- a belief that persisted into the first few years of the 21st century, according to CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
In contrast, the most recent CNN/ORC International survey shows 55% of Americans back same-sex marriage, up 11 percentage points from 2008.
Voters in three states approved measures legalizing such unions in November 2012.
Numerous corporations have adopted policies barring discrimination based on one's sexual preference -- contrary to the laws in most states, where a person could still be fired if they are found out to be gay. Two of America's most watched TV shows, "Modern Family" and "Glee," feature openly gay characters.
Wilson Cruz had been a pioneer of sorts in the 1990s, when he played a gay teen on ABC's "My So-Called Life."
Times have changed since then, he said, as Americans get to know more gays and lesbians -- whether they are cousins, neighbors or characters on TV shows.
The Supreme Court decisions striking down part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act and clearing the way for same-sex marriages in California could accelerate the movement even more, according to Cruz.
"I really do believe this is the domino that is going to tip over the rest of the dominoes," he said. "Do not get in the way of this train, because it will run you over."
Same-sex marriage still illegal in most states
Teddy Witherington can now make wedding plans.
He and his partner live in San Francisco, where same-sex marriage will (once again) be legal.
Witherington, who is British, has lived in the United States legally for the past 16 years, first as head of the San Francisco LGBT Pride Parade and Celebration, and now as chief marketing officer for Out and Equal Workplace Advocates.
What occurred Wednesday gave him pride to live in his adopted home.
"As an international citizen, (it) gives me so much gratitude because I see the very best that exists in this great nation," Witherington said. "... It's truly a beautiful thing."
Still, while he and other LGBT advocates characterized the court rulings as victories in their fight for equal rights, that doesn't mean the fight is over.
Some 70% of Americans live in the 37 states where same-sex marriage is not or will soon not be legal.
In his ruling opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy said one reason the federal government is obliged to recognize gay and lesbian marriages that are legal in some places is because it is up to individual states to decide marriage law.
That's more likely to happen now than a few years ago, said Michael Cole-Schwartz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign.
LGBT advocates have learned to make their campaigns more about people wanting to be together than people wanting to get rights and benefits, he said.
"We have really focused on the reasons why they want to get married: because they love each other," Cole-Schwarz said. "That's really helped change the nature of the conversation."
Workplace a battleground in LGBT fight
The Civil Rights Act makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people based on their race, color, religion, sex or national origin.
But not their sexual identity.
That means, under federal law, there's nothing to prevent a worker from failing to hire or firing someone because they are gay or lesbian.
There are 21 states that do offer such protections, which leaves 29 that do not. In 34 states, there's nothing to prevent a person from getting fired if they are transgendered.
Activists are working to change that. Witherington points to the Employment Non-Discrimination Act working its way through a Senate committee, calling now a "crucial moment" for politicians to change federal policy.
The measure has 53 cosponsors, short of the 60 votes that bills typically need nowadays to pass if it's opposed by the Republican minority. If it does pass, it would then have to be passed in the GOP-led House of Representatives.
Selisse Berry, the founder and CEO of Out and Equal Workplace Advocates, says she's "very hopeful" a bill that includes protections for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered people will pass. The larger movement in the society is a big reason why, she says.
"Any time people get to know us as human beings, it makes a huge difference," Berry said. "More and more people, all the time, are coming out. When that person has a relationship with others, it moves the dial forward."
Washington could take its cue from corporate America. On their own accord, most Fortune 500 companies already bar gays, lesbians and transgendered from being treated any differently than any other employee.
Why? Because they realize the importance of retaining the best people who perform well on the job, irrelevant of their sexual identity, according to Berry.
"It's about the bottom line, essentially," she says.
Activist: Gay rights' causes 'not insurmountable'
Other issues are on LGBT advocates' agenda as well.
They want immigration reform measures being mulled in the Senate and House, for instance, to treat same-sex partners much like heterosexual spouses.
They want safer schools, so youngsters aren't threatened, hurt or otherwise victimized.
And they are also mindful that transgendered people have "not seen as many gains as the gay and lesbian portion of our community," says Cole-Schwartz of the Human Rights Campaign.
"The way the media talks about transgendered people is in terms of violence and suicide rates, but those aren't the only stories," adds Cruz, noting that parts of America still don't know or understand them.
In other words, even after Wednesday's Supreme Court decisions, there's a lot that these activists' still want to do.
And to do it, Huckaby says, means harnessing "the collective energy" of people of all sexual persuasions who share the same values. That kind of movement could take place not just in the halls of Congress, but in stores and coffee shops on Main Street.
"I know the power that there is in individual messages from the people who are willing to speak out," said Huckaby, who grew up in Louisiana and has seven siblings -- three of whom are homosexual, like he is, and four of whom are straight. "These (challenges) are not insurmountable."
T.J. Williams is eager to put himself out there, partner with others, work hard and make an impact.
In his last year at Garrett Theological Seminary, he is working to combat poverty, address gun violence afflicting parts of Chicago and promote fair education.
"What I am most interested in is creating unity among everyone who seeks justice and equality," he said.
For him, these issues and promoting LGBT rights are all related.


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Release of the Global Innovation Index 2012: Switzerland Retains First-Place Position in Innovation Performance
Abu Dhabi, Fontainbleau, Geneva and Singapore,
July 3, 2012
Press Conference Video | WIPO Magazine
Released jointly by WIPO, INSEAD and its Global Innovation Index 2012 edition Knowledge Partners, Alcatel-Lucent, Booz & Company, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
For the second year running, Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore lead in overall innovation performance according to the Global Innovation Index 2012 (GII): Stronger Innovation Linkages for Global Growth, published by INSEAD, the leading international business school, and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.
The report ranks 141 countries/economies on the basis of their innovation capabilities and results. It benefits from the experience of Knowledge Partners Alcatel-Lucent, Booz & Company, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), as well as an Advisory Board of eleven international experts.
The study shows that the dynamics of innovation continue to be affected by the emergence of new successful innovators, as seen by the range of countries across continents in the top twenty GII ranking, as well as the good performances of emerging countries such as Latvia, Malaysia, China, Montenegro, Serbia, Republic of Moldova, Jordan, Ukraine, India, Mongolia, Armenia, Georgia, Namibia, Viet Nam, Swaziland, Paraguay, Ghana, Senegal; and low-income countries Kenya and Zimbabwe.
"The GII is a timely reminder that policies to promote innovation are critical to the debate on spurring sustainable economic growth," WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said. "The downward pressure on investment in innovation exerted by the current crisis must be resisted. Otherwise we risk durable damage to countries' productive capacities. This is the time for forward-looking policies to lay the foundations for future prosperity."
Top 10 Leaders in the overall Global Innovation Index 2012
The list of overall GII top 10 performers has changed little from last year. Switzerland, Sweden, and Singapore are followed in the top ten by Finland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Denmark, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, and the United States of America. Canada is the only country leaving the top 10 this year, mirroring weakening positions on all main GII innovation input and output pillars. The report shows that the U.S.A. continues to be an innovation leader but also cites relative shortfalls in areas such as education, human resources and innovation outputs as causing a drop in its innovation ranking.
At a glance: Global Innovation Index 2012
Top 10 Leaders in the Global Innovation Index
- Switzerland
- Sweden
- Singapore
- Finland
- United Kingdom
- Netherlands
- Denmark
- Hong Kong (China)
- Ireland
- United States of America
Regional leaders in the overall GII and the BRIC countries
The leaders in their regions are: Switzerland in Europe, the US in Northern America, Singapore in South East Asia and Oceania, Israel in Northern Africa and Western Asia, Chile in Latin America and the Caribbean, India in Central and Southern Asia, and Mauritius in Sub-Saharan Africa. Among low-income economies the leader is Kenya.
Soumitra Dutta, Roland Berger Professor of Business and Technology at INSEAD and the founder of the GII noted, "The GII seeks to update and improve the way innovation is measured. Today's definitions must capture an environment which is context-driven, problem-focused and interdisciplinary. The 2012 variables were broadened in an effort to find the right mix which captures innovation as it happens today."
The report notes a need for the BRIC countries (Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, and China) to invest further in their innovation capabilities to live up to their expected potential. China's performance on the key knowledge and technology outputs pillar is outpaced only by Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, and Finland. However, the report notes that both China and India have weaknesses in their innovation infrastructure and environment. The report also notes that Brazil has suffered the largest drop among the BRICs.
"Innovation is becoming the spearhead of competition – at a regional level, on a national level, and for companies," said Ben Verwaayen, CEO of Alcatel-Lucent. "How to deal with that challenge will determine the destiny of competiveness for all players."
Top 10 Leaders in the overall Global Innovation Efficiency Index 2012
Complementing the overall GII ranking, the Global Innovation Efficiency Index shows which countries are best in transforming given innovation inputs into innovation outputs. Countries which are strong in producing innovation outputs despite a weaker innovation environment and innovation inputs are poised to rank high in this "efficiency" index.
In the Global Innovation Efficiency Index, China and India lead the top 10 league of countries. Four of the top 10 countries in the Efficiency Index are lower-middle income countries.
Top 10 in the Global Innovation Efficiency Index
- China
- India
- Republic of Moldova
- Malta
- Switzerland
- Paraguay
- Serbia
- Estonia
- Netherlands
- Sri Lanka
"Developed economies must continue to strengthen and develop linkages amongst stakeholders in the innovation landscape to stay ahead in strategic sectors," said Per-Ola Karlsson, Senior Partner, Managing Director of Europe, Booz & Company. "Similarly, developing economies must institute a national model that establishes coherent linkages in their innovation systems. By aligning cross-cutting policies and coordinating the efforts of all stakeholders, these coherent linkages drive the innovation process."
Chandrajit Banerjee, Director General, CII said, "Every country can aspire to be an innovation-driven economy. The more resource-constrained an economy is, the more prone to innovation it actually can be. Importantly, innovation is about acts which improve everyday lives and a journey towards faster-sustainable-inclusive-growth"
Deep innovation divides between countries and regions persist
The GII identifies three groups of countries: innovation leaders, learners and
underperformers - full graphic
The GII 2012 shows that a new dynamic of innovation is emerging regardless of deep and persistent innovation divides between countries and regions. The most important innovation gaps exist between countries at different stages of development. On average, high-income countries outpace countries with less income per capita by a wide margin across the board in all innovation performance metrics. Large innovation divides also exist across geographic regions, especially when comparing average performances across high-income countries with those of other regions, such as Africa, large parts of Asia and Latin America.
The Report highlights a multi-speed Europe, with innovation leaders in Northern and Western Europe, Eastern European and Baltic countries catching-up, and a Southern Europe that performs less well.
Comparing the overall GII scores to countries GDP per capita, the report identifies three groups of countries. Among the "innovation leaders" are high-income countries such as Switzerland, the Nordic countries, Singapore, UK, Netherlands, Hong Kong (China), Ireland, USA, Luxembourg, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Malta, Israel, Estonia, Belgium, Republic of Korea, France, Japan, Slovenia, Czech Republic, and Hungary, which have succeeded in creating innovation ecosystems where investments in human capital thrive in fertile and stable innovation infrastructures favorable to knowledge, technology and creative outputs.
The group of "innovation learners" – middle-income countries – includes Latvia, Malaysia, China, Montenegro, Serbia, Republic of Moldova, Jordan, Ukraine, India, Mongolia, Armenia, Georgia, Namibia, Viet Nam, Swaziland, Paraguay, Ghana, and Senegal. Among low-income countries, Kenya, and Zimbabwe stand out.
These middle- and low-income economies demonstrate rising levels of innovation achievement as a result of improvements in institutional frameworks, a skilled labour force, better innovation infrastructures, a deeper integration with global financial and other markets, and a sophisticated business community — even if progress in these dimensions is not uniform across all segments of the country.
"Innovation underperformers" are countries with weaknesses in their innovation systems. They include a mix of high-income as well as middle-income countries as shown in the chart above .
The theme of this year's GII report, 'Stronger innovation linkages for global growth', underlines the importance of productive interactions among innovation actors—firms, the public sector, academia, and society—in modern innovation ecosystems. Download the full report or additional highlights, economy profiles and rankings.
This year's Global Innovation Index
Top ranking countries/economies for selected indicators from
the Global Innovation Index 2012
To support the global innovation debate, to guide polices and to highlight good practices, metrics are required to assess innovation and related policy performance. The Global Innovation Index (GII) helps to create an environment in which innovation factors are under continual evaluation, and it provides a key tool and a rich database of detailed metrics for refining innovation policies.
This is the fifth year the GII has been published, and the first in which INSEAD and WIPO are co-publishers. The Global Innovation Index (GII) project was launched by INSEAD in 2007 with the goal of determining how to find metrics and approaches to better capture the richness of innovation in society and go beyond such traditional measures of innovation as the number of research articles and the level of research and development (R&D) expenditures.
The GII 2012 is calculated as the average of two sub-indices and the Innovation Efficiency Index is the ratio of the two sub-indices, the Innovation Input Sub-Index gauges elements of the national economy which embodies innovative activities grouped in five pillars: (1) Institutions, (2) Human capital and research, (3) Infrastructure, (4) Market sophistication, and (5) Business sophistication. The Innovation Output Sub-Index captures actual evidence of innovation results, divided in two pillars: (6) Knowledge and technology outputs and (7) Creative outputs.
This year the GII innovates in two ways: First, for the first time, the GII includes a detailed analysis of the underlying factors influencing year-on-year changes in rankings. Second, the strengths/weaknesses of each economy are identified in the country profiles.
Moreover, while the GII report is a year over year performance assessment, it seeks to update/improve the way innovation is measured. For example, this year the Infrastructure pillar was reorganized to single out ecological sustainability in a new sub-pillar. In addition, online creativity was added to the ranking, including data on generic and country-code top level Internet domains, and also drawing on data from Wikipedia and YouTube.
The Report includes ten analytical chapters contributed by knowledge partners, Advisory Board members, and Google (by special invitation) to expose recent global innovation trends that can hardly be captured by traditional metrics. Four chapters are case studies on the Gulf Cooperation Council, Saudi Arabia, India, and the Russian Federation.
Press Contacts
INSEAD Europe campus Sophie Badré INSEAD Asia campus Janet Loh |
INSEAD Abu Dhabi campus Joe Chedid U.S. WIPO |
About INSEAD, The Business School for the World
As one of the world's leading and largest graduate business schools, INSEAD brings people, cultures and ideas from around the world together to change lives and to transform organisations. The 141 renowned Faculty members from 35 countries inspire more than 1,000 degree participants annually in the INSEAD MBA, Executive MBA and PhD programmes. In addition, more than 6,000 executives participate in INSEAD's executive education programmes each year.
INSEAD conducts cutting edge research and innovates across all our programmes to provide business leaders with the knowledge and sensitivity to operate anywhere.
About WIPO
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is the leading global forum for the promotion of intellectual property as a force for innovation and creativity to achieve positive change. A specialized agency of the United Nations, WIPO assists its 185 member states in developing a balanced international IP legal framework to meet society's evolving needs. It provides business services for obtaining IP rights in multiple countries and resolving disputes. It delivers capacity-building programs to help developing countries benefit from using IP. And it provides free access to unique knowledge banks of IP information.
Related Links
- Tel: (+41 22) 338 81 61 / 338 72 24


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With EEA-Lex you can find information about proposed EU legal acts with possible EEA relevance, adopted EU acts under consideration for incorporation into the EEA Agreement, and acts that have already been incorporated into the Agreement.
Searching in English gives the widest results. You can refine your research results by using the categories in the right-hand column.
Commission Decision of 14 October 1981 amending Decision 77/190/EEC as regards the information to be provided as to the prices of crude oil and petroleum products in the Community
Entscheidung der Kommission vom 14. Oktober 1981 zur Änderung der Entscheidung 77/190/EWG hinsichtlich der Angaben über die Preise für Rohöl und Mineralölerzeugnisse in der Gemeinschaft (81/883/EWG)
Disclaimer: EEA-Lex is provided for information purposes only. The information is not guaranteed or promised to be current or complete and is not intended to replace any applicable legal sources.


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TechRadar Verdict
A solid performer but serious home cinema buffs shouldl probably look elsewhere
- +
Bright, punchy picture
long lamp life
compact design
- -
Poor video processing
4:3 chipset
Why you can trust TechRadar
A key IT player, Hewlett-Packard has been ramping up its presence in the projector market in a major way. HP customers are more likely to be showing PowerPoints than Harry Potter movies, so data projectors have always been their first concern.
Nevertheless, HP has decided to make a parallel range of data and home theatre projectors. The obvious question is this: what law says that you cannot use a data projector for home cinema, especially as they both use similar technologies, and have similar facilities under the skin?
Let's look at the vp6321, which is first and foremost a data projector, and see. It is just about everything you expect of a good, but relatively affordable, home cinema projector, even though it is not billed as one, plus it has some extra advantages that come from its data heritage. It is very compact, and includes a carrying handle. It is impressively, almost unfeasibly bright at 2,000 Lumens.
The DMD that HP has chosen, however, definitely shows its data heritage. Its native resolution is identical to most Windows computers at their normal desktop resolution without requiring scaling - 1024 x 768 pixels. This is a respectable resolution for home cinema too, but it is natively 4:3, and to achieve 16:9 requires grey guard bands above and below the picture.
But even 16:9 displays share the same problems when they're asked to reproduce more extreme cinema-like aspect ratios, 1.85:1 or 2.35:1 (Cinemascope), for example, which still need to be letterboxed in a 16:9 display area. Actually the grey above and below the screen is not too grey in this case, as the vp6321 has a very respectable 2500:1 contrast ratio, and impressively inky blacks. It remains a disadvantage, but it may not be a deal breaker in practice.
And so it continues. The vp6321 has a decent range of socketry, including an encrypted DVI-HDCP input, which is the basic requirement for accepting a digital feed from a DVD player with a DVI or HDMI output. And it does have the wherewithal through the menu system to change its spots to suit the application, though there's neither the subtlety nor depth of adjustment available to rival more practiced home cinema operators.
You also get the ability to customise the picture modes using all the available menu settings for particular purposes, and call them up with a single button press. Oh, and cost of ownership is unusually low, as HP's claimed lamp lifetime (8,000/4,000 hours depending on mode) is the best in its class.
In the end, it's almost too easy to make a really compelling case for the vp6321. Just consider. It is extremely bright and has excellent midrange contrast, and respectable black levels too. As a result it looks bold and punchy, which is very attractive on first acquaintance. It even has video processing of sorts (using TI's in-house ARM powered solution) to sort out scaling and deinterlacing.
Although primitive by home cinema standards (Faroudja processing is the benchmark here) the vp6321 is nevertheless better than some data projectors we have examined. Those projectors to hand with Faroudja processing onboard delay the video signal by a significant fraction of a second longer than the HP (tested by using a splitscreen presentation using parallel S-video outputs from the same Pioneer DVD player). This very roughly indicates the amount of extra work other projectors are doing to the signal compared to the HP.
If you look more closely, there are other limitations to the vp6321, though on the whole they're often surprisingly subtle. One of the consequences of primitive video processing is a significant amount of video noise, and blocky motion artefacts. These effects were noticed, among other places, in some of the action scenes of Pirates of the Caribbean, which looked decidedly messy. Video noise wasn't the only offender here. The cooling system is by no means quiet, though the character of the noise is relatively smooth and innocuous.
Colour reproduction was another area where the HP is less than first class. It lacks the subtlety that a top-class projector brings to the party. You can see this, for example, in the lack of delicacy with which it handles skin tones (try some of the early scenes from Chicago).
Despite the good contrast ratio, there was clear evidence of compression in the near blacks, which tended to merge together, especially if the middle tones and the highlight gamma settings were anything like correct.
Even in well-darkened surroundings, the vp6321 lacked the almost tangible walk-in quality that distinguishes the best from the rest. Where the HP excels is paradoxically where a full blackout cannot be achieved. Perhaps this is not so paradoxical after all.
This projector shouldn't be a good bet for home cinema, but in the end it's really not bad. Picture quality has plenty of what might be described as punch and dynamics, and its handling of motion artefacts, though well below home cinema norms, is not completely unacceptable at the price. Resolution is good even allowing for masking down the XGA resolution DMD.
It's two best features, however, are its prodigiously bright output, which means you can get away with a room with a degree of ambient lighting, and the extraordinary long (claimed) lamp lifetime. Alvin Gold
Tech.co.uk was the former name of TechRadar.com. Its staff were at the forefront of the digital publishing revolution, and spearheaded the move to bring consumer technology journalism to its natural home – online. Many of the current TechRadar staff started life a Tech.co.uk staff writer, covering everything from the emerging smartphone market to the evolving market of personal computers. Think of it as the building blocks of the TechRadar you love today.


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Kirby's debut adventure has been around the block a couple of times now, having been remade and mechanically enhanced for both Kirby Super Star on SNES as well as the DS version of that release called Kirby Super Star Ultra. Stripped down and monochromatic in comparison, this original Game Boy version is now available on the 3DS Virtual Console and still stands as a wondrously charming little platformer in 2011, albeit very, very sparse.
First released in April of 1992 in Japan, jumping over to North America in August and into Europe in December of the same year, Kirby's Dream Land stood out in the gaming world by bending contemporary platformer conventions. Instead of jumping on your baddies, HAL Laboratory has you inhale and violently puke them at each other. It's a simple twist, but a clever and fun one all the same that manages to still captivate today.
The fairy tale story is simple: Dream Land is a happy place until King Dedede comes and steals all the food and Twinkle Stars, and it's up to Kirby to go grab 'em back. It's all very Mushroom Kingdom-type stuff, but that's to be expected from a light and simple platformer. It's not a very long dream, nor particularly challenging: the four main stages are each a decent length but a total breeze, and the final stage's boss revisits are a snap. Dream Land was designed to allow beginners to see the end of the game, which can easily be done in under an hour, and thanks to the Virtual Console's save state feature you no longer have to do it all in one consecutive session. Fortunately for more skilled players, a significantly harder Extra mode can be unlocked by hitting Up, Select and A at the title screen. It'll take a bit more effort to conquer, but the abundance of health and the straightforward level designs take a bit of the sting out. Still, it's a fun and welcome addition to infuse new life in the over-too-soon title.
The series' signature power-absorption mechanic was not to be introduced until Kirby's Adventure on the NES (also released in 1992). Here, Kirby can inhale victims and items and forcefully hurl them at others, and also fly indefinitely by holding Up, which also gives him a puff of air to blast. That's about it. Sure, there are two power-ups that allow Kirby to shoot stuff without "loading" and there's a nifty dive-bomb attack, but later games' power absorption strategies are entirely absent. It's a little-frills approach and, considering the turn almost every other Kirby platformer went down, feels much lighter. It's as if Mario never discovered the wonders of gobbling wild mushrooms.
Despite missing the series' now-trademark mechanic, there are still plenty of essentials that got their start here. Maxim tomatoes are out in full effect, as are the huge stars and, of course, King Dedede, one of the worst monarchs to grace the tiny screen. There are also some nice nods to other games of the era, like a boss battle against the titular character of Adventures of Lolo, another HAL game, and the wall masks from Super Mario Bros. 2. These nods fit in so well with the rest of the world's art direction that they could easily be mistaken for original enemies.
Speaking of which, the art style of the game is very charming and holds up quite well today; in fact, Kirby's appearances are exactly the same 19 years later — albeit pink. The puffy character design was originally just placeholder sprites, but the designers grew attached and kept him in this form. A good choice, since Kirby's large and simplistic design allowed him to be easily seen, unlike earlier tiny sprite work such as Super Mario Land, on the Game Boy's oft-crap screen. The enemies are large and easy to distinguish, and the worlds stand out nicely from each other. Much like the rest of the game, the music is fittingly cheery and charming, and you can't help but crack a smile upon clearing a level and watching Kirby's little dance. Green Greens' tune is the quintessential Kirby track and should be experienced in its original context at least once by any self-respecting Nintendo fan.
Kirby's Dream Land was and remains an exceptionally charming platformer, but the pink puff's debut adventure feels a bit too elementary now. Nineteen years of nostalgia shines bright upon Kirby, but dipping those rosy glasses reveals a walk-in-the-park title that has been outpaced by its descendants in virtually every way. Kirby's genesis is strong, but he's done better.


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As expected the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General has not yet made a decision on the introduction of an R18+ classification for computer games. They have instead released a report containing preliminary figures and information about the public consultation that closed at the end of February. The report is available on the Attorney-General's Department website.
The report shows that 98.2% of the submissions were in favour of the R18+ rating for games but Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O'Connor said that ministers had to also consider "the strength of the arguments on each side."
'Grow up Australia' is mentioned often in the report and a pie chart indicates the number of submissions that were received via our website compared to other means. You can also see the clear success of EB Games in store petition.
The government has also released some of the submissions made by organisations including those made by the iGEA, ACL, EFA and ACCM.


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Grindstone 100 course landmarks: Elliott's Knob and Little North Mountain |
Camaraderie is one of the most enjoyable things about being part of the ultra community, along with the culture of helping other runners achieve their goals. Whether it be through coaching for free (or beer), crewing, pacing, or training together, nothing beats the feeling of helping a friend accomplish something really hard. This week our local newspaper, C'Ville Weekly, ran a cover story on three local ultrarunners and yours truly was one of the featured runners. The reporter interviewed me a few days before I was off to pace Jenny Nichols at Grindstone 100, so she asked me a ton of questions about pacing, and this is what I told her. In essence, we are a sport of "paying it forward"-- everyone, from the top 100 mile runner in the country to the newbie-- has shared something important and valuable that has helped me later in a race or during an adventure. We may be a selfish sport (yes, admit it, we are) when it comes to time commitment and time away from home...but when it comes to reaching out to include and help one another, without expectation of payback or publicity, we are second to none.
As for pacing Jenny...when Jenny Nichols announced on Facebook that she had entered Grindstone 100 (her second 100, and first mountain 100), I immediately bombed her inbox with, "Pick me!" Pick me!" pacing offers. Of course, Selfish Sophie wanted to participate in this fantastic 100-miler without the pain and suffering of actually running the thing again. But I also wanted to help Jenny in the same way others had stepped up for me. Mike Broderick, Mike Mason, Michele Harmon, and Gretchen Garnett have been my fabulous 100- miler pacers, and I wanted to be there for Jenny in the same way they had been there for me--as a fellow 100-miler comrade, offering unconditional support, friendship, guidance, and help towards achieving her huge goal of finishing a really tough 100.
Rob Colenso, Jenny and me on Friday, a few hours before the Grindstone start |
AJW, me, Neal and Horton at Grindstone start |
The live stats were behind schedule all night, so when I arrived at the mile 68, North River Gap parking lot (aka TWOT lot) at 7:45 and was informed that Jenny had a 45-minute lead on the women's field at mile 50, I was alternatively psyched and concerned. Rob was pacing her down the mountain and hopefully had slowed her down enough to prevent trashing her quads on Little Bald, and I knew that the next 50K section had two 2500 feet climbs as well as a few brutal descents. Horton and I agreed that if she could just keep moving at this pace, she would be tough to beat. At 9:40, an hour ahead of the next woman, Jenny arrived at North River looking happy and relaxed, so we filled her pack and got the heck out of there!
Jenny at mile 77 with Elliott's Knob (mile 90) in the distance |
The next 12 hours and 32 miles were a blast! We laughed, took photos, cheered on girl scout hikers, greeted mountain bikers and horseback riders, and moved at a great pace. I had Kerry Owen's 28:45 splits with me from 2011 and Jenny was a good thirty minutes ahead at Dowells Draft, despite sore knees. The plan was to go in and out of the aid stations with a smile (despite feeling a bit ginger on the downhills), grab a bottle of Perp, and get the heck out. We may have spent :45 at each AS, which was a testament to her fabulous, efficient crew and her focus.
After leaving Dowells at mile 80, Jenny plugged into her Ipod and we ran a good 50 minutes across Rte 250 and along Chimney Hollow. The sun was starting to get low in the sky and the woods were magically quiet and serene. I was LOVING it! It was nice to be quiet for awhile and then other times busy solving all the world's problems. Jen was climbing like a champ and making some good time before we made the nasty descent down Crawford Mountain when the wheels (aka her knees) started to fall off a bit. I could tell from the look on her face (and my own memory of this race) that it was just brutally painful to descend. But she hung in there and before long we were at Dry Branch Gap (mile 85). WOOP!
Jenny and Brock at Dry Branch, mile 85. |
Not many Grindstone finishers EVER get to run down Elliott's in the DAYLIGHT! |
We arrived at the last aid station at mile 95, Falls Hollow, having lost a few more minutes, so the next 6 miles were going to be gut check time. These six miles are the worst six miles in ultrarunning for the Grindstone finisher. In the 2009 race, I made a vow to NEVER run in the woods again except as pacer, and here I was, running and walking on tedious ascents and descents, railroad tracks, baby head rocks, technical stream beds, and roots. Not to mention the mental challenge of running past the Camp Shenandoah showers with a bit more than a mile to go! A few more guys passed us but we were not concerned---we knew after the showers she had the win in the bag. It was at the "1 Mile To Go" sign that I made a huge WOOP and turned to Jen and extended my hand: "Congratulations, you are going to win the Grindstone 100!" There were tears of joy, of pain, but mostly...relief.
Across the earthen dam we ran (!), along the road, and into camp. It was very dark now, with a crystal clear sky full of stars. It was about 9:45pm and I wooped it up so Clark and the gang knew it was us. "What's your number?" we heard them call out from the finish line.
"105!!!" we yelled.
Big cheers erupted as Clark announced "First Woman, Jenny Nichols! 2012 Grindstone Women's Champion!"
Big hugs all around from Clark, Rob, Brock, Brian, Tammy, Rick, Tammy Gray, Q, Gary, Jim Daniels, Neal Gorman, Kerry Owens...
Big fun.
Rob, Jenny and me at the Grindstone finish line, 27:46 |
2012 Grindstone 100 Champs, Karl Meltzer and Jenny Nichols |
Grindstone results